It took time to finally be happy again
by 0809m
Summary: Isaac had a bit of a knack for noticing things. It was a quality he'd gained before he'd even gotten the bite. He'd spent years sitting in the back of the classroom, lonely and broken. He'd always been too afraid to talk to anyone, so instead he observed. So it wasn't hard for him to see what went on with his friends(Bad summary i know) Slash Sciles/Stisaac Rated t for abuse.


**Hello; This fanfic came out after a psychology class where the subject of the day was "Abuse" and one of my class mates share her own personal history that brought tear to my eyes so i have to write this, it's mostly POW, but it reflects just what i need it to.**

I want to thanks to Kitten2010 who edited this and wrote some parts.

Please let me know what you think.

**WARNING: Friends to Lovers, Same-Sex Marriage, Adultery, Implied Child Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Physical Abuse, abuse recovery, after this you're gonna hate Scott**

**Pairings: Scott/Stiles, Isaac/Stiles, Scott/Allison**

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****It took time to finally be happy again.

Isaac had a bit of a knack for noticing things. It was a quality he'd gained before he'd even gotten the bite. He'd spent years sitting in the back of the classroom, lonely and broken. He'd always been too afraid to talk to anyone, so instead he observed. So it wasn't hard for him to see what went on with his friends.

It all started the summer after the incident with the Kanima. With Boyd and Erica gone, Isaac practically clung to Scott and Stiles was always there with them. It was pretty nice spending the summer with the two of them. They made him laugh and he had fun with them. It made him feel almost normal.

His observational skills hadn't faded, though, and he started to realize something about Scott and Stiles that he wasn't even sure they knew about themselves. Stiles was in love with Scott. It made sense. His crush on Lydia had always been so over the top that it was entirely possible the whole thing was an act. Isaac saw the way Stiles glanced at Scott, the way he blushed, and the look of pure adoration.

Isaac's suspicions were confirmed one night when he and Stiles snuck off and shared a bottle of the sheriff's Jack Daniels. Stiles confessed that he'd had a crush on Scott since they were twelve, but Scott never noticed him. Isaac never told anyone what Stiles had told him that night.

At the start of their junior year, Isaac noticed major changes. Allison had left town, riddled with guilt. Isaac pitied her. He understood what it was like to lose a parent. He wasn't all that sad to see her go, though. A knife to the kidneys could do that to a person's ability to sympathize.

Scott took it pretty hard though. Isaac and Stiles had to deal with the depressed werewolf as best they could. Isaac tried his best, but he wasn't really sure how to deal with it.

The biggest shock came a few weeks later, when Stiles came to school with a slight limp, reeking of sex and Scott. As always, Isaac kept it to himself. He wasn't sure if it was his place to say anything. Weeks passed and it was pretty much the same. It went on so long and it kind of hurt Isaac that neither Scott nor Stiles ever told him what was really going on.

Finally, the winter formal arrived. Scott took Stiles as his date, to the surprise of no one. They apologized to Isaac for keeping the secret and they seemed so happy together that Isaac was happy for them. With the secret out, they went through the rest of their high school days. Things were as normal as could be, for werewolves at least. Scott and Stiles were the perfect couple. Meanwhile, Isaac dated a few people but never got serious.

The three of them picked a college close by, wanting to stay in the state. They shared and apartment and Isaac really didn't mind being the third wheel. Things were great. Scott was on track to becoming a vet. Stiles and Isaac, on the other hand, went into education.

The three of them returned to Beacon Hills. Scott and Stiles got engaged and decided it was time that they got a place for just the two of them. Isaac missed them, but he settled in to the partially rebuilt Hale house fairly nicely.

Life was good. Stiles Stilinski became Stiles McCall. He worked at their old high school as a substitute teacher and Scott joined Deaton's veterinary practice. Isaac was making a nice living as a counselor.

It was all too good to last and it all went to hell the day Allison returned to town with a husband and a child.

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"How have you been?" Isaac asked Stiles. They were on their lunch break and they just so happened to be the only ones in the teacher's lounge.

"Fine," Stiles replied nervously. "Why wouldn't I be fine?"

Isaac had a bad feeling. "You've just seemed nervous and jumpy lately. Is everything alright? How are things with Scott?"

"Perfect. We're perfect," he answered. His heart was skipping all over the place, but Isaac didn't need his werewolf senses to see that Stiles had been on edge ever since Allison came back.

"Good," Isaac said. "And hey, remember, you can come to me for anything, alright?" He put his hand on his friend's shoulder. Stiles flinched at the contact. The scent of fear made Isaac sad, but he kept his distance.

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In the months that passed, Stiles grew more and more quiet and Isaac grew more and more worried. Finally, he felt like he had to do something.

"Stiles has been acting weird lately," he commented, trying to sound casual. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course," Scott replied. "Why…did he tell you something?"

There was something in Scott's tone of voice that made Isaac nervous in a way that he'd only felt before when living with his dad. Isaac tried to push those thoughts away. Surely, Scott would never do such a thing. "No," Isaac said, shrugging like it was no big deal. "I was just wondering."

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Stiles missed the next few days of work and Isaac started to see he couldn't deny his suspicions any longer. He dodged out of work early, racing to see Stiles when Scott was still at the office. There was no response when he rang the doorbell. He started to panic and he knocked on the door so hard that he left a fist sized indentation in the wood. Finally, he resorted to something he hadn't done since he was a teenager. He climbed in through a window.

"Hey," he whispered once he was inside.

Stiles nearly fell out of his desk chair. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" he accused.

Isaac was struck speechless. There was a bruise on Stiles' right cheek and one surrounding his swollen eye. "What happened to you?" Isaac asked.

"I got jumped," Stiles lied.

"Did Scott do that to you?" Isaac asked. He was trembling. He knew the answer, but he didn't want to know it.

"No," Stiles lied again.

"Bullshit," he said. Stiles jumped. "How long?"

Stiles' eyes were glued to the floor. Finally, he admitted in a whisper, "Since I found out he was cheating on me. Ever since Allison came back they've been…you know…"

"Why would he do that? You two were so in love."

Tears were starting to form in Stiles' eyes. "I guess he loved me in a way, but I'm not her. She was always the one he wanted and I can't compete. It's my fault."

Isaac didn't know it was possible to physically feel like your heart was breaking, but there was a pain in his chest that wouldn't go away. He knew too well what it was like. The abuser told you it was your fault and you just believed them. He couldn't let his friend go through that any longer. "I'm gonna get you out of here," he promised.

"Isaac, mind your own business. I'm not leaving Scott. I really love him and he loves me too. He just gets angry, but he doesn't mean it." Stiles was babbling at this point. "You don't understand, I can't leave. No one else would want me.

"Stiles," Isaac plead.

"Isaac, just go. You shouldn't have come here."

Isaac knew that Stiles needed time. Leaving was hard. In fact, Isaac had never gotten the courage to do it. He dreaded to think what would have happened if the Kanima hadn't killed his father. It was all bringing back so many memories and Isaac wasn't sure what to do. He left and he would regret that decision forever.

The phone call came at two in the morning. The sheriff informed him through tears that Stiles was in surgery to stop internal bleeding. Isaac's rage built as he made his way to the hospital and when he saw Scott, he reared back and punched him so hard that it shattered Scott's jaw and a few of Isaac's fingers as well.

The hard part came when he had to tell the sheriff his motive for punching Scott. At first, Stiles' father seemed confused. Scott had said that Stiles fell down the stairs. The sheriff wanted to believe that, but after Isaac finished talking, the man knew the truth.

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Two weeks later, Stiles moved from the hospital to his dad's house. It took months of therapy and lots of convincing (read: begging) from his dad, Isaac, and even Derek to convince Stiles to leave Scott for good. Six months and a million apologies later, Stiles took Scott back.

It would be different this time. Scott had learned his lesson. He'd changed. Except he hadn't and it all happened again.

Finally, Stiles asked for a divorce. He decided not to press charges. He didn't have the strength for it. He was broken. He stayed with Isaac, too ashamed to go back to his dad.

It took a year for Stiles to get almost back to his old self.

It took two years for Isaac to realize his true feelings for Stiles and an additional month for him to get the courage to confess those feeling to Stiles. Everyone was surprised, but happy for them when Stiles agreed to a date with the blond werewolf.

The first date was awkward, but still perfect.

Three months of dates later, they were an official couple. Six more months and they were saying "I love you". On their first anniversary, Isaac got on one knee and proposed. Stiles said yes.

Old insecurities ran deep and they waited until two years after their engagement to get married. Things were good though. They stayed happily in love. They started building a home together, but there was always the nagging feeling that it wasn't yet complete.

They'd been married for five years when they finally decided that the missing piece was a child of their own. Isaac was scared. He had a paralyzing fear of becoming like his own father. Deep down, he was still that broken boy he'd been from the start. Stiles was broken too, after everything Scott had done. But together, they overcame. They built each other up. Despite everything they'd been through, they were together and nothing would ever tear them apart.

All the pain and fear on the journey became worth it the day they brought their son home from the hospital. Nathan was perfect in every way. They absolutely doted over their baby boy. He was everything to them.

They'd finally found happiness.


End file.
